Possible initial reactions for kybun beginners

An ‘initial reaction’ is a perceptible, unpleasant reaction by the body to wearing a kybun or standing on a kybun mat. These reactions can take three forms: fatigue, pain and ‘unpleasant feeling’.

Everyone reacts differently to the fantastic but unfamiliar ‘walking-on-air’ feeling. Nine out of ten people can wear kybun shoes all day long right away and love the feeling and the effects. One in ten will experience ‘initial reactions’, and it is helpful to know what to do about them. We cannot say with certainty how the kybun shoe will affect you or how quickly you will experience your first successes. This is because wearing the kybun shoe ‘renovates’ your body.

Antalgic gait: Walking in normal shoes on flat surfaces protects the body instead of challenging it. This weakens the body instead of training it. Muscles become shorter and lose their sensomotoric abilities, among other things. Joints are subjected to improper strain. The entire system becomes susceptible to pain arising from overloading.

Natural gait: Walking barefoot on uneven, natural surfaces such as sand trains the entire musculoskeletal system with every step, improving its power, coordination, sensomotoric ability, endurance, flexibility, etc. Joints are protected and muscles, ligaments and tendons become healthy and robust.

Wearing the kybun shoe helps you to ‘switch gears’ from the antalgic gait to the natural gait. This transition is a smooth one in 90 per cent of cases. 10 per cent of users may experience temporary overloading reactions by immobile joints and weakened muscles, ligaments and tendons because after years of relieving postures, more time is needed to become accustomed to the new freedom of movement and the greater strength expenditure when wearing the kybun shoe.

There is nothing fundamentally bad about experiencing an initial reaction since this is actually a sign that the kybun shoes are challenging the musculoskeletal system and locating the body’s weak points as well as its coordination and muscular deficits.

Problems that only arise some time after you begin wearing the kybun shoes or problems that occur intermittently do not stem from general initial reactions.

General initial reactions

Overloading reaction triggered by transitioning out of relieving posturesIn some cases the pain has prompted the user to unconsciously shift the majority of the load to their ‘healthy side’ for a long time and that they continues to do so. This is called a relieving posture. Standing and walking on air-cushioned soles corrects the relieving posture, and this is fundamentally good and correct. But it also means that the side that has up to now received the lighter load – and has not suffered pain for a long time – will receive more load, which is the correct solution that ensures that the healthy side will not experience problems in the long run. The side that has received less load must, however, become accustomed to the new load and may therefore react with fatigue and even pain at first. That is why it is important in such cases to take breaks and to perform basic kybun mat exercises and special kybun exercises to counteract these reactions.

Overloading reactions due to overly quick load increases The soft, elastic sole may bring about an immediate reduction in acute pain. The excitement may be so great that a person who has previously been able to walk only a few hundred meters immediately embarks on long strolls. Severe reaction pain can arise because the entire body (joints, feet, back, muscles and the area that was painful) is no longer accustomed to such great distances. That is why it is important to immediately pay attention to the small warning signals, such as fatigue, unpleasant movement processes or even what is initially minor pain and take breaks or perform the basic kybun mat exercises and special kybun exercises until the reaction has disappeared again. Short breaks of 30 minutes are often enough to allow normal use to proceed.

Overloading due to weak musculatureVery weak musculature can fail to stabilise the joint sufficiently at first. This can lead to an initial increase in irritation. Long-term kybun wear improves proprioception, sensomotoric ability and musculature and quickly leads to a stabilisation of the foot and of the entire body. The weak musculature must, however, become accustomed to the new load and may therefore react with fatigue and even pain at first. That is why it is important in such cases to take breaks and to perform basic kybun mat exercises and special kybun exercises to counteract these reactions.

For quick and continuous changes to muscle and movement structures, we recommend ‘interval walking’ and ‘micro-interval walking in place’.

Important information for new users who have inflamed or painful joints (for example, in the knees or ankles)

The training effect from walking in the kybun shoes can initially increase the level of inflammation. In order to prevent this, users need to improve the way they move their ankles by moving more slowly, more precisely and more gently. It is crucial that you avoid walking for too long, especially when you start wearing kybun shoes for the first time, even if they make it much less painful and more comfortable to walk. Otherwise, you may put a strain on your joints without even realising it at the time, only to experience an increased level of inflammation or pain a few days later. This would make it necessary to stop wearing the kybun shoes for several days. Watch the following videos to find out how you can prevent inflammation and pain and immediately improve your gait with kybun shoes.

Important for all initial reactions: Listen to your body and take a break if you have a reaction. After the reaction has passed, you can put the kybun shoe on again. This way, you can take shorter breaks and do so less frequently (see image).